YATESVILLE – Tunkhannock needed less than 11 minutes to make it all the way back from a 15-point, first-quarter deficit Jan. 26 only to fall short after a second surge carried host Pittston Area to a 51-49 Wyoming Valley Conference boys basketball crossover victory.

The third straight loss – and second in as many nights – damaged the playoff hopes of a Tunkhannock team that had started the season 5-2. Even after a bounce-back win Tuesday, the Tigers (8-7) were 10th in a competitive 12-team race to land the eight berths in the District 2 Class 4A tournament.

Pittston Area came into the game with just two wins, but overwhelmed Tunkhannock early.

With 6-foot-5 senior center Brian Miller consistently getting into position for easy inside baskets, the Patriots took a 20-5 lead in the last minute of the first quarter. Miller hit six of his first seven shots while scoring 13 points in the opening run.

“Our guards did a nice job of finding him,” Pittston Area coach Alan Kiesinger said after Miller scored 22, all but one of them in the first half.

Sean Harder scored while moving through the lane to cut the deficit to 20-7 after one quarter and start a Tunkhannock comeback.

Harder went 5-for-6 while scoring all 10 of his points in a five-minute stretch to get the Tigers within 26-20.

Matt Goodwin’s 3-pointer with a second left cut it to 28-23 at halftime.

Evan Turner set up Avery Billings inside, then powered in for his own basket before Tyler Faux completed a 10-point streak with a 3-pointer for a 30-28 lead with 5:58 left in the third quarter.

Faux, who finished with 19 points, hit a 3-pointer and scored on a three-point play 19 seconds apart in the final minute of the third quarter for Tunkhannock’s biggest lead, 38-34.

Pittston Area answered with the game’s next 12 points and even late 3-pointers by Goodwin and Faux could not bring the Tigers back again.

Faux finished 4-for-7 on 3-pointers.

Turner had eight rebounds before fouling out, Harder had four assists and three steals and Billings blocked three shots.

Parsons hit three 3-pointers for the Mountaineers, who outscored the Bulldogs 32-17 over the middle quarters for a 51-31 lead.

Dallas improved to 8-1 in the WVC, 1 ½ games behind Hazleton Area in the Division 1 race. The Mountaineers are 13-2 overall and second out of nine teams in District 2’s power rating system for seeding in the eight-team Class 5A playoffs.

Tunkhannock opened leads of 19-5 after one quarter and 30-12 at halftime Tuesday while breaking a three-game WVC losing streak.

Tyler Faux finished with 24 points and Sean Harder had 11 of his 16 in the first half to lead the Tigers.

GAR 72

Lake-Lehman 55

GAR defeated Lake-Lehman in Monday’s WVC crossover game.

Dallas 61

Meyers 54

Alex Charlton scored 18 points to lead the way as Dallas overcame a halftime deficit and a 30-point effort by Jawane Buckner to defeat Meyers in the WVC crossover game Jan. 26.

Jay Bittner added 14 points for the Mountaineers.

Wyoming Seminary 56

Lake-Lehman 27

Wyoming Seminary ran out to a 23-4 lead after one quarter of the Jan. 25 WVC Division 3 game.

C.J. Cercone led Lake-Lehman with nine points.

Hanover Area 58

Tunkhannock 54

Hanover Area outlasted Tunkhannock in double overtime in the Jan. 25 WVC game.

Tyler Faux led the Tigers with 14 points.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Nanticoke 56

Dallas 41

Amiah Lukowski had three of Nanticoke’s five third-quarter, 3-pointers Wednesday night to keep the Trojanettes unbeaten in WVC play and help them take sole possession of the Division 2 lead with the win.

Lukowski finished with 17 points.

Nanticoke stretched its lead from 22-20 to 39-29 during the third quarter.

Kade Kravits, John Betzko and Steven Newell had pins in three of the final four bouts for Dallas January 25 when the Mountaineers lost in the regular-season finale.

Dallas finished 3-3 for fourth place out of seven teams in WVC Division 1.

BOYS SWIMMING

Dallas 118

Wyoming Valley West 49

Mikail Krochta won four events Wednesday to help Dallas improve to 6-0 and tied for first in the WVC with Tunkhannock.

The Mountaineers are at Tunkhannock Feb. 14 in the meet that is likely to decide the conference title.

Krochta won the 100-yard backstroke by almost 13 seconds in 58.28, won the 200 individual medley by more than 20 seconds in 2:08.69, led off the opening 200 medley relay win and anchored the closing 400 freestyle win.

Ryan Spears won the 100 breaststroke, Tony Caravaggio won the 500 freestyle and both were on two winning relays.

Shane Szczecinski was part of two winning relays. Kevin Allen, Zach Minarik, Evan Sebecky and Dennis Dukinas made up the winning 200 freestyle relay team.

Ray Wills Invitational

Alex Bushre won the 50 and 100 freestyles and was part of two winning relays to help Tunkhannock take the team title in the Jan. 26-27 meet at Wyoming Valley West.

The Tigers outscored second-place Hazleton Area, 351-286.

Holy Redeemer 104

Lake-Lehman 10

Logan Kuhar won the 200 individual medley for Lake-Lehman in the Jan. 26 meet.

GIRLS SWIMMING

Dallas 140

Wyoming Valley West 40

Abby Zolner won the 100-yard butterfly and was part of all three relay wins when Dallas improved to 8-1 in the WVC with Wednesday’s rout.

Zolner won the butterfly by almost 10 seconds in 1:02.36.

Annalise Cheshire won both the 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke and was part of one relay win.

Missy Leonard, Jennifer Leonard and Gabby Krochta each won an individual event and were part of two relay wins.

Sydney Bittner and Emma Thomas each won an individual event and a relay.

Gianna Leo won the diving.

Ray Wills Invitational

Camryn Rogers won the 100 and 200 freestyles and was part of the winning 400 freestyle relay to help Tunkhannock to a second-place finish in the Jan. 26-27 meet at Wyoming Valley West.

Holy Redeemer 65

Lake-Lehman 53

Holy Redeemer won the Jan. 26 WVC meet.

Dallas 125

Pittston Area 45

Annalise Cheshire won the 200 individual medley and 100 freestyle while also contributing to two winning relays in the Jan. 26 WVC road win.